Deputies: Orange City man shot and killed cat

Monday

Nov 26, 2012 at 12:31 PM

LYDA LONGASTAFF WRITER

An Orange City family whose cat went missing found it shot to death two days later, the Sheriff's Office said Monday.

The animal had been shot with a pellet gun in front of the cat owner's son, said Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson. The boy was able to recognize the shooter as William Stroud of Orange City, Davidson said.

But Stroud, 22, was not arrested until two weeks after the incident, Davidson said, because deputies could not find him.

The shooting occurred on Nov. 9 when the cat was sitting in the driveway of its home on 6th Street in the city, Davidson said. The cat scurried away, but the owners were not immediately aware that the animal had been shot.

When the cat failed to return home, the owners began looking for it and found the pet in a sewer drain just a few hundred feet from their residence, Davidson said.

The owner's son recalled that the animal had been shot and he said Stroud was the suspect, Davidson said.

Because deputies could not immediately find Stroud, they obtained an arrest warrant from a circuit court judge, Davidson said.

Stroud was arrested on Nov. 23 and charged with animal cruelty. He was taken to the branch jail on $3,000 bail.